Christmas with PinkBlush

Being a mommy to an almost 3-year old and a 3-month old during the holidays has been so much fun but also very overwhelming. Other than the typical hustle and bustle that comes with this time of year, I've had so much other stuff going on the last few weeks that I've had no time to think about what to wear for Christmas Day.

I didn't want to wear anything super fancy (I never do), but I also didn't want to wear anything too plain...AND I wanted to make sure it was super comfortable and covered all my problem areas (which have been even BIGGER problems with all the Christmas baked goods going around...into my mouth, that is).

This ruffle trim sweater from PinkBlush was the perfect top to wear this Christmas. It is unbelievably soft and comfortable, and I just love the rust color - truly gives off a warm vibe.

True story: During Christmas lunch at my husband's aunt's house, Henry barfed/spit-up all over the bottom half of my sweater after I finished nursing him. I was totally regretting not packing extra clothes for myself and was nearly about to ask if I could borrow a shirt, but I decided to do my very best to clean the stain off first. After a few minutes of scrubbing with a kitchen rag and good ol' dish soap, I rinsed out the sweater, squeezed out all the excess water, and spent no more than 15 minutes airing it out before it was completely dry. It was a Christmas miracle.

You can find the same exact sweater here --> CLICK ME!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I'll be spending the next few days negotiating with my firstborn on what toys we should keep in the house and what we should put away in storage - I am up to my armpits in toy cars and train sets over here!

Until next time!

**Disclaimer: The clothing showcased above was gifted to me by PinkBlush in exchange for a review. All opinions in this post are my own.**

Read Brightly

**Disclaimer: The following post is sponsored by Brightly, who generously gifted us with the tote bag and two books. All opinions are 100% my own.**


This year, I've seen a lot of parents do a fun take on the Advent calendar - they would wrap 25 Christmas books, label them 1 through 25, and their child would open one each night to read before bedtime. How fun is that?!

Owen is not quite at the age where he fully understands the true meaning of Christmas, so I think this wonderful tradition would be great to start next year. But what books will I get, and will they be age-appropriate for Owen?

Luckily, there is Brightly (www.readbrightly.com), a website affiliated with Penguin Random House, that aims to help parents and educators grow lifelong readers. They are a great resource for book recommendations, reading tips and advice, and much more.

And right now, they have a section on their website called Holiday Central, which provides gift ideas and seasonal reads!

They also have a Holiday giveaway going on, where you can enter for a chance to win a bundle of books (tailored to your family) and a $100 gift card to literary apparel retailer Out of Print. Click HERE to enter - you have until 8:00pm PST on Decemeber 31st. Good luck!

And if you're a last-minute shopper (like me!) and need gift ideas for children in your life, books are always a great idea!

A Letter to My Firstborn

Owen's behavior has changed since we brought Henry home, naturally. He has been argumentative, has had public meltdowns, and has even refused to eat at times.

Fortunately, Owen is still very young and most likely will not remember how badly he has behaved or the number of timeouts we have given him...but that just means he also won't remember all the wonderful things he has done.

And that is why I wrote him this letter - to let him know that he was actually a pretty great kid during a pretty crazy time in our lives.

So here it is - a letter to my firstborn:

Dear Owen,

It's been about 7 weeks since you've gone from being an only child to being a big brother. And although the transition has been challenging for your Daddy and me, I know it's been rough on you too.

You no longer have my undivided attention...

Our mealtimes are almost always interrupted because the baby needs something...

When you need help putting your train tracks together, you're usually put "on hold"...

The moment Daddy gets home, he attends to the baby so that I can finish cooking dinner...

Our day dates have gone from every other day to once a week...

We don't go to Disneyland as much as we used to...

You don't take naps with me anymore...

And other things...

But you know what's so wonderful about you? You have never acted unfavorably towards Henry.

Henry is the first person you want to see the moment you wake up...

And when he's sleeping upstairs and we're downstairs, you spend a majority of your time watching him on the baby monitor. And the moment you see him fussing, you exclaim, "Baby cry!", and immediately rush upstairs to check on him...

And though you usually are a tornado tearing through the house, you are always so calm when Henry joins you for a bath...

And you love showing him all of your toys, even though he's too little to play along...

And when Henry is in his Dockatot while Daddy and I are doing chores around the house, you're constantly checking in on him and giving him so many kisses...

And when we're holding him and talking to him in our ridiculous high-pitched Mom and Dad voices, you happily join in and say, "Hanky Babbbyyy!"

So, despite all the crazy changes you've gone through, you remained our sweet and tender-hearted little boy; and your Daddy and I cannot be more proud of you. Never ever change.

Love always,
Mama & Daddy


Until next time!